Just a thought on a possible mechanic allowing for sword dueling inside an MMO.

From the first person perspective you stand at about 4-6 feet away from your opponent. Just far enough for your blades to touch 6 inches below the tip.

Left click is a lunging attack, right click is a slashing attack. When you move the sword without attacking it can act as a block. While blocked, you can push against their sword by tapping space bar. It adds an amount of force dependent on your strength statistic, likewise for blocking, perhaps on a global cool down. W moves you one step toward your enemy, S moves you one step away, A sidesteps to the left, D sidesteps to the right.

The tip of the sword follows the mouse, allowing you to move it about the screen in order to block. Number keys may control different stances and ways of holding the sword. Moving the sword in front of a slash attack can block that attack, moving it across a lunge can push it aside. You’re ability to block or push aside a lunge is controlled by strength. Speed of your steps would of course be speed, and speed of a strike would be dexterity.

Different combinations of strikes and movements in particular contexts would be the “special moves” and, if you have classes, could be class dependent.